All posts by ohiorick

After leaving Blackwater Falls, we followed the GPS to Ricketts Glen, which turned out to be a mixed blessing. It took us way far out of our way, but in the process, I caught an out of the way waterfall by accident, which was on my bucket list for the second edition of my book.

We ended up driving out US 48 from Davis and then into Greenland Gap. We found Falls Gap Falls and took that one off the bucket list of things to do in W.V.

Falls Gap Falls, on Greenland Gap Rd.

From there we finally figured out the GPS didn’t want us driving on Interstates and didn’t get back on track until State College, PA. Home of the Nittany Lions of Penn State. Had my first chicken waffle there. But, I digress.

Anyway, the three days we spent in Ricketts Glen were perfect. The skies cooperated and the water flow was good, though sometimes too much. It was better than the last four times I’ve been there and I think I got some good shots. I’m not going to bore you with details and trail descriptions, etc. Just some pics. Except to say that, if you have never been there, the trials are not hard but they are steep. They are made of stones and natural forest ground. There are trip hazards all over the place, but it’s still pretty easy walking. If you’re old, like me, your knees might get sore because none of the steps are not exactly to code and can sometimes be deceiving. Just make sure you watch where you step. Bring a walking stick to get down into low places and definitely wear hiking boots.

If you are traveling alone, you will have to decide how you want to hike this place. We always go with two cars, so that all the hiking is downhill. You can leave one at the Adams Falls parking lot on Route 118, about one mile east of the Ricketts Glen Motel. (good food)

(41°17’58.7″N 76°16’29.0″W) (41.299646, -76.274718)

and one on top at the Lake Rose Trailhead parking lot (there are restrooms at both places). If you are alone, you should budget most of the day to hike the whole of both gorges, especially if you are photographing. It’s about 7+ miles round trip, and the up hill might just wear you out. If you are hiking the round trip trail, start with the Highlands trail where the Midway Crevasse is, and go down Glen Leigh first. That way, you won’t have a long hike back to the lot when you reach the top of Ganoga Glen coming back up. Just look at the map on their website and you’ll see what I mean. The trip from the bottom on out to Rt 118 is relatively flat and easy.